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Meet Kurt Sobotka of Prime Technical Services

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kurt Sobotka.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kurt. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Kyle and I started Prime from our apartment in Buckhead in the summer of 2014. In the last three years, we’ve grown our annual revenues to over $10 million and 200 employees. We have recently expanded our geographical footprint to include offices in Atlanta, Washington DC and San Diego, CA.

We’ve been fortunate to accumulate a high performing internal team that consistently exceeds all of the goals we put in front of them. Because of this success, we’ve been able to expand much faster than we initially intended. This has created opportunities for folks that took a chance on us early on when the path wasn’t exactly clear. As our growth continues, we are always keeping our eyes out for self-driven, geographically flexible, high energy individuals that have the confidence in themselves to join a rapidly growing small business over a large “safe” corporation.

Has it been a smooth road?
It seems like the only way we learn anything at Prime is by initially doing it wrong. We sent Kyle up to DC in March 2016 with the goal of opening an office at that time to support or government customers around the nation’s capital. It didn’t go so well and we had to move him home 8 months later in order to regroup.

Another obstacle has been the transition from using out-of-the-box small business products to more customized solutions that can handle our rapid growth. These ill-timed transitions caused us to slow down at a time when our customers were asking more and more out of us. It was painful, but like most obstacles or “mistakes,” it’s made us much better in the end.

Attracting and retaining top talent – Hiring top talent is difficult as we are approaching full employment. It’s also difficult to attract folks away from large companies who are hiring in volume right now.

Navigating government agencies/regulations – Learning the requirements of federal and state reporting requirements and taxes has been a very daunting task. There are a number of firms to outsource those responsibilities, but as we’ve learned, you can’t outsource the risk of non-compliance.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Prime Technical Services – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Prime Technical Services is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business that consistently provides superior, innovative, and cost-effective solutions while committed to being highly responsive to the needs of our customers.

Through a combination of management expertise, proven best practices, and deep industry knowledge, we capitalize on our own experiences to help our customers meet and exceed the organization’s mission and objectives.

At Prime Technical Services, we understand that the most valuable asset to a business is its people. Through teaming, subcontractor partnerships and staff augmentation, Prime Technical Services is prepared to support organizations on both a short-term and long-term basis to meet mission-critical program requirements.

At Prime, we are an execution business where culture, energy and values drive the business forward. Going from $0-$100m in revenue in 7 years is not a large mountain to climb when we have great people, great culture and large incentives for those who are building our business. I always say that we are an old school type company and these days I think that is innovative in itself. (Especially when you’re selling to the government and large corporations.)

The first 10 people into our company were friends of mine. They all made sacrifices to join (taking much less pay and almost all had to move) when we had nothing but uncertainty on when it might pay off. I’m most proud of the fact that those risks are now paying off greatly for those that took a chance on us.

What sets us apart from others is our culture. We set higher goals, work harder and have a heck of a lot more fun than our competitors large and small.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Atlanta. I moved down from NE Ohio 11 years ago and love the variety that Atlanta offers. I joke with old friends still living in the middle of nowhere Ohio about how different our lives are… Atlanta is a great place for growing a business, but more importantly, it’s the best place to meet new and interesting friends from all kinds of different backgrounds.

The airport is also amazing. I refuse to travel anywhere that requires a connector… Not many others can say that without paying a whole lot more for travel.

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Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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